#Taiwan artist life

[beyourselfchulanmaria]

🧧 恭喜發財 Gong Xi Fa Cai (Wish you enlarge your wealth) 🎋

吃! Eating ◠‿◠ 

Dinner - Japanese food /丼飯 Donburi /丼物／どんぶりもの

at 高雄大遠百/ 大河屋燒肉丼串燒 😋 yummy~*

📌 ps. One set the price 510 TWD ✅ (Includes tip and The grilled mushrooms are very delicious/I chose the cream cheese flavor. 💓)

#chu lan #fine craft artist #朱蘭皮藝 #leather art artist #beautiful life #Taiwan artist life #live love laugh #chengcing lake #澄清湖 #sunset #light #evening #yummy dinner #大河屋燒肉丼串燒 #japanese food

[paulbrain]

Back for More 💀🧠☠️ #Finest #Art #always Thank you for all of your Love Homies 🙇‍♂️🙏💖🧠🪷☯️💥🪨🗿 #LetsGo #karma #time #soul #contemporaryart #contemporary #life #canadianartist #hongkongartist #Calgaryartist #human #artist #photography #hkig #yyc #Taiwan #Taipei #creator #create (at Taipei, Taiwan) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpQ8KRFP0M6/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#finest #art #always #letsgo #karma #time #soul #contemporaryart #contemporary #life #canadianartist #hongkongartist #calgaryartist #human #artist #photography #hkig #yyc #taiwan #taipei #creator #create

[gunsatthaphan]

~ Monthly BL Breakdown: January 2024 ~ 

✨ Happy February!!! 🎭

Disclaimer: ALL shows can be streamed here or here, as well as on Youtube and other platforms. For more info on where to watch what, check out this post! 

New breakdowns are coming at the end of every month - feel free to add stuff! -> previous breakdowns

What came out this month? (green = seen/currently watching)

🌟 BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita: Crank In Hen - January 2nd (Japan) 

🌟 Ossan's Love Returns - January 5th (Japan) 

🌟 Refund Love - January 7th (Thailand) 

🌟 Time The Series - January 9th (Thailand) 

🌟 Intern in My Heart (BL side couple) - January 10th (Thailand) 

🌟 Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka (Although I Love You, and You) - January 11th (Japan) 

🌟 Beside You (mini series) - January 11th (Thailand) 

🌟 I Wish You Love - January 21st (Thailand) 

🌟 Happy Ending - January 23rd (South Korea)

🌟 Love for Love's Sake - January 24th (South Korea)

Monthly likes/dislikes

👎🏻 I've been catching up on some KBLs from last year this month and sadly most of them were very disappointing. I put a few on my watchlist that generally had good reviews but yeah let's just say I'm glad I didn't miss anything in the last 2 years lol. The only one I liked was Love Mate, the rest was pretty much pointless. Hopefully the upcoming ones will be better 🤞🏻

New series & movie announcements

🎥 Beating Again (dance-themed, starring Kaownah K., Earth K. and others) - Date TBA (Thailand)

🎥 Unknown - Date TBA (Taiwan)

🎥 The Book Store - Date TBA (South Korea)

🎥 Term Begins - Date TBA (Thailand)

🎥 Mafia Prince and the Bookworm - Date TBA (Thailand)

🎥 Black Forest - Date TBA (Thailand)

🎥 Go Alone With Me - Date TBA (Thailand)

🎥 Can I Love You? - Date TBA (Thailand)

🎥 The Shining Star - Date TBA (Vietnam)

🎥 At My Fingertips (Unintentional Love Story spinoff) - Coming May 2024 (South Korea)

🎥 Connecting To You - Date TBA (Taiwan)

🎥 The Star (movie) - Coming March 2024 (Thailand)

🎥 What's the Nong? - Date TBA (Thailand)

Other news from the BL world

❗️ Actors Mike Chinnarat, Fluke Pusit, White Nawat, Pluem Purim and Lee Thanat have left GMMTV.

❗️ After Korean actor Choo Youngwoo won an award for "Best Rookie Actor" at the recent KBS Drama Awards, he came under fire for not mentioning his participation in the BL You Make Me Dance which launched his career and earned him the award.

❗️ Actors Jin Hoeun (All Of Us are Dead), Kwon Hyuk (The New Employee), Byun Junseo (Perfect Marriage Revenge) and Nam Yoonsu (Extracurricular) have been confirmed to star in the upcoming BL Love In The Big City, which portrays the life and love of an HIV-positive gay writer.

❗️ ZeeNunew and GeminiFourth won an award respectively for "Best Thai Artists" at this year's Seoul Music Awards.

❗️ The Chinese BL Stay with Me is getting an audiobook. The series furthermore recently confirmed its second season, further details are unknown.

❗️ Over a year after its initial premiere, the Thai BL To Sir, With Love won "Popular Foreign Drama” at this years's Vietnam Face Of The Year Awards.

❗️ The Thai BL Playboyy will no longer air on youtube after the suspension of the channel due to explicit sexual content. The show will continue to exclusively air on Gagaoolala, as well as RakutenTV.

❗️ Actors EarthMix had a cameo appearance in Ossan's Love Returns; they will star in the Thai adaption of the same name later this year. Details about the production are still unknown.

❗️ MileApo (KinnPorsche) were announced to star in the upcoming series Shine. The show is an extension/spinoff of Man Suang and focuses on Khem and Chatra's story in more detail.

Upcoming series & movies for February

👉🏻 Anti Reset - February 2nd (Taiwan)

👉🏻 Perfect Proposal - February 2nd (Japan)

👉🏻 City of Stars - February 2nd (Thailand)

👉🏻 Love Syndrome: The Beginning - February 8th (Thailand)

👉🏻 Baka Pwede pa? - February 9th (Philippines)

👉🏻 1000 Years Old - February 14th (Thailand)

👉🏻 My Strawberry Film - February 16th (Japan)

👉🏻 A Secret Love - February 17th (Thailand)

👉🏻 Unknown - February 24th (Taiwan)

👉🏻 Wedding Impossible - February 26th (South Korea)

👉🏻 Kiseki Chapter 1 & Chapter 2 - February TBA (Thailand)

#doreens monthly bl breakdown #thai bl #bl drama #upcoming bl #update #bl news #im so upset about everyone leaving gmm like wtf #idc that they added a bunch of new ones i want the old ones back #i have separation anxiety djkhkdfj 😭 #how dare you change old patterns #bold of u to assume i have no mental illnesses lmao

[thesinglesock]

being a Donald Duck comics fan sucks so bad because literally everyone knows about Donald Duck but no one knows your Donald Duck. not even other Donald Duck comics fans. You'll be like "my favorite is the one where-" and describe a comic by a Finnish artist that was printed once in 2003 and only released in Scandinavia except for that one time it got printed in Taiwan in 2010, and your fellow fan you're talking to will be like "wow that sounds cool, don't think I've read it though" and the conversation stops there because neither of you have read the same comics. only way you can be sure you're talking about the same comic is if you mention Don Rosa, but that conversation won't go anywhere because you'll just nod sagely and agree that "The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck" is the greatest achievement in comic history and stop there because you've had this conversation with 10 other Donald Duck fans before. You really can't win.

#vitpost #donald duck #topolino

[komatsuyuko]

Finally announced!!!! I'm so excited~~~~!!!!

"A whisper, resonance , secret in spring" my new solo exhibition is in Seoul since next week! Please share it for me to your friends!I will be there at the opening for book sign and easy talk! This is a whole new exhibition with new love.

See you soon! Our Seoul soul friends!

[Exhibition Introduction]

This exhibition features the artist Peiyuuue, who is actively showcasing her works not only in Taiwan but also in Korea. The character 'Happy,' which appears prominently in the artist's works, may seem simple and innocent like a child's drawing at first glance, but it is actually the artist's closest friend and alter ego, supporting and encouraging her to overcome dark and difficult times. As a result, when looking at Peiyuuue's artwork, it feels as if the inner child within oneself is being comforted by a warm embrace. With the arrival of the gentle spring, may we encounter the 'Happy' within our hearts along with Peiyuuue's exhibition.

[Artist's Message]

Let's bask in the sunshine and fall in love with our shining self. 

The theme of this exhibition is consisting of three series of works. 

A whisper is a little secret told to you when someone whispers your name, a simple story started by self-talk. No matter what you like to do or what you are looking for, although there may not be an answer, the process is the scenery. 

Resonance lives up to its name, simple joy in its purest form. Small mosaics spell out your favorite happy moments this year. Having these joys gives breathing space in a busy life. Only when such happiness is constructed in life will we know that happiness is simple. 

Secret in spring is a series of paradises constructed under the artistic conception of spring. My world view is peace, contentment and joy.

If this is a world with only Happy, come in and take a look inside.

[Exhibition Event]

(1) PEIYUUUUE Exhibition Opening Event

Join us for the exhibition's opening event on Saturday, April 6th, on the PRNT 4th floor rooftop. From 3 PM to 5 PM, there will be an artist signing session, along with light refreshments.

*The reservation link will be released soon.

*Event schedule subject to change due to rain.

(2) PEIYUUUUE New Book and Merchandise Sale

(3) PEIYUUUUE x PRNT Collaborative Sticker Sale

[Exhibition Period]

April 6th (Sat) - April 28th (Sun), 2024

[Opening Hours]

Thu-Sun 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm

*Closed every Mon-Wed and on public holidays

[Exhibition Venue]

Manyang-ro 1-gil, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, PRNT 2F

#peiyuuuue #paint #exhibition #a whisper #resonance #secret in spring

[absolutebl]

Do you have any bl recs that are very realistic with angst? I'm kinda in the mood for sadness lol

BL That is VERY realistic with ANGST

The "very realistic" is the hard part. All BLs take artistic license in pursuit of some kind of cohesive story. And, you probably mostly want Japan and Taiwan.

Let's see what I can do?

Realistic High Angst From Taiwan

Your Name Engraved Herein (netflix?) - this is the winner, it's an amazing historical piece, painful but beautiful

Also its oft forgotten "sister" piece, Red Balloon , not sure where to find it but very few have seen it, it's worth looking for if this is your thing.

About Youth, Gaga

My Tooth Your Love, Viki - the premise seems odd but it's very endearing and quite complex

Some shorts to consider :

Faded,

Innocent,

Light,

The Immeasurable

Realistic High Angst from Japan

His (movie is my preference but the series might also fit the bill)

Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese

Junjou Pure Heart

Candy Color Paradox

Kimi no Koto Dake Mite Itai (I Only Want to Keep Looking at You)

Life: Love on the Line, Viki (go for the director's cut)

Restart After Come Back Home, Gaga? Viki? (not sure who has this one anymore)

Jack O Frost

Tokyo in April Is... Gaga

Realistic High Angst From Thailand (yes really)

Love of Siam

Love Sick

Dew the Movie (it's your funeral)

Maybe My only 12%?

I Told Sunset About You and the follow up

Present Perfect and Present Still Perfect (this is an intersting one as far as I know it's the first out gay director prestige piece from Thailand.)

Once in Memory (short)

Moonlight Chicken (review here)

Only Friends, YT (not quite BL, very queer messy gays, Thailand's answer to Queer as Folk)

I Am Your King 1 (but it's a pulp)

And weirdly you could throw some aspects of Love By Chance in there.

I still will never recommend Grey Rainbow. Sorry.

You might try tracking down the Saneha stories too.

And a bit from Korea

Although this will always feel a bit staged and arranged. Korea doesn't do much gritty realism, they prefer their pain performative.

To My Star and (more importantly) To My Star 2

Blueming, Viki

The Eighth Sense, Viki

The New Employee, Viki

Unintentional Love Story, iQIYI

And 2 Others

Like In The Movies, Pinoy YT

Goodbye Mother, Vietnam netflix maybe?

Unlike most of my posts none of these recs promise an HEA. You have been warned.

I pretty much fleeced from my prestige BL list (just add angst):

You could always take a risk and try some of these too...

K' that's more an enough to me going on with and I am SURE there are some you haven't seen. I'm equally sure I have missed some since there are ones that often life at the bottoms of my personal list and I have only ever watched one.

(source)

#BL but make it greet #I want to suffer and I want my characters to suffer to #you crazy for wanting this but I live to serve up BL pain #one way or another. #recommended BL #only not cause this isn't my thing #darker bl #high angst bl #realistic bl

[xinyuehui]

Nobody, literally nobody:

Me: What if I did a Guangyan and try to read (all) the manhua in Yiyong's room ヽ(✿ﾟ▽ﾟ)ノ

Here's short reviews of them, some of them are very Yiyong teenboy kind of manhua, and some of them have similar themes to onhct in general

Guangyan is correct, these are all completed works 🥺

上上籤 Loss of The Holy Seal by YinYin. Only 5 chapters, I read the whole thing. Plot: Heaven is in a frantic mess due to the Holy Seal being lost in the mortal realm. Which uncovers a story about a water goddess, Ling Yu, who feels helpless when she can not help humans who are suffering from natural disasters. Set in modern day with Chinese mythical elements.

地獄遊行 lit. Hell Parade (no official English title I can find) by 布克 L.buBu (the artist is on tumblr @/lbubu) Plot: Fantasy setting. Protag Aili was born with incredible magician abilities compared to a lot of normals but he seems to be uninterested in his magician abilities to save the world.

異人茶跡 Formosa Oolong Tea by 張季雅 Kiya. Plot: The story revolves around the endeavours of John Dodd, a Scottish merchant, and his comprador Li Chunsheng, during the Qing Dynasty. It explores their significant contributions to the growth and establishment of the tea industry in northern Taiwan. This one is pretty good, if you're tea drinker this is some good history!

狗臉的歲月─記1629梯 My Life As A Dog by 李鴻欽 Li Hong Chin. Plot: The main protagonist enlists in the army and tells a story of his time there. This one isn't my thing but Yiyong probably likes a bit of a "lad" comic.

閻王帖 Invitation of Yama by 柚子 You Zih. This one is fun I like it, it reminds me of Hoozuki No Reitetsu and Fukigen Na Mononokean. The protagonist possesses Ying Yang eyes meaning he can see ghosts. After an accident, he meets a guy who wears a mask and is a worker in the underworld. Mask guy's weapon is a massive calligraphy brush!

無名歌 lit. Untitled Song by ROCKAT 搖滾貓. This one is on webtoon! Protagonist Taiyang had a rock music dream, now as a "failure" adult he works in an entertainment company as a manager. He bumps into a girl busking on the street who happened to recognise him from his early music days and has every album (2) his band and him once produced. Then onwards he rediscovers his love for music... probably, I didn't finish it lol

and I couldn't be bothered for now to read the rest:

雲之獸：來自遠古的守護者 Beast of Clouds: The Guardian of Ancient Times by 漢寶包Hambuck

1661國姓來襲 Kongxinga Z by 李隆杰 Li Lung Chieh

九命人 Nine Lives Man by 姜振台 Ah Tui

FLAVORS魔廚 by 爆野家BAKUNOYA

Okay I did read this one though, even though I'm not sure if Yiyong has it or not:

守娘 Tan-Tsiu-Niu by 小峱峱 Nownow. This is a phenomenal heavy read. It's inspired by Tan Tsiu Niu, a women who lived in the Qing Dynasty that died of a tragic murder. Story has themes of folklore, ghosts and superstitions. Main protagonist Jie Niang grew up in a family who did not force foot binding onto her, however that caused a lot of gossip around her "big feet" and how she could ever get married off like that. Through an incident of a women in her village, she begins to uncover what horrors the villagers have been doing to baby girls and women. Let's just say I'm not the same person after reading this.

(I shall update the reviews whenever I find time to finish the rest (●'◡'●)

#oh no! here comes trouble #不良執念清除師 #oh no here comes trouble #不良执念清除师 #manhua #caps #we know yiyong mentioned dragon ball and naruto but surprisingly not a single manga(i could see in sight) yiyong said support local artists #this was pretty insane for me to find considering i know nothing. ive read one(1) tw manhua and it was on webtoon #hours on finding them in the show hours on finding the titles and then hours reading them #i know the entire current tw manhua catalogue back to front now╰(*°▽°*)╯

[becauseimanicequeen]

WHAT I’M CURRENTLY WATCHING

ONGOING:

TO BE CONTINUED (Thailand): I’m having the time of my life with this one due to the main characters’ lack of communication, fear of fessing up to their feelings toward each other, the drama of the past, and Poppy (I always love Poppy!).

LOVE IS BETTER THE SECOND TIME AROUND (Japan): I love mature QLs (mature as in adult characters that are complex, flawed, and feel real, and that deal with real-life problems). This is no exception. I also love stories with the possibility of getting a second chance (because everyone makes mistakes).

1000 YEARS OLD (Thailand): This one is way too cute for me (I have a hard time vibing with too much cuteness). You would think this is a series about vampires and aliens, but it’s actually about soup and umbrellas. The only reason I’m still watching this is because of said umbrellas. The umbrellas got me hooked! (Welcome to the real struggles of a visual artist.)

CLOSE FRIEND SEASON 3: SOJU BOMB! (Thailand): There are too few episodes for me to say something substantial about this one. The neon lights in the first episode got me good, though (and I’m a slut for neon lights). Also, I love drunken shenanigans (in fiction, btw) and it’s delivering on that front.

TWO WORLDS (Thailand): This is another series with too few episodes for me to say something substantial. I like the vibe so far, though. Also, I always have a sweet spot for artists so Khram has a special place in my heart.

DEEP NIGHT (Thailand): I love the club setting (again, neon lights are my thing) and the chemistry between the characters (especially between Seiji and Pan). There’s also the possibility of a poly relationship (which I and so many others are hoping for).

(I hope I don’t get as clowned about this poly relationship as I got clowned about Non showing up alive in DFF.) (Either way, I’m staying in this clown car because I need poly! Hope is said to be the last thing leaving a person...)

CITY OF STARS (Thailand): This is really sweet. The characters are sincere and have great communication skills. Fueang and Krom maturely solve every issue that shows up. It’s nice to see a great relationship like this for a change (even though I do love watching miscommunicating characters as well).

ANTI RESET (Taiwan): I’ve recently started watching this and easily got into it since I could binge several episodes. It has an interesting story (falling in love with a robot that seems very real and human). The chemistry between the main characters is great and the visuals are gorgeous (Yi Ping’s house is beautiful, even though the front door never seems to be properly closed, like, ever).

A SECRETLY LOVE (Thailand): Right now, the only reasons I’m watching this is because of Kimmon (the actor who plays Pluem), Kut (who plays Khonprot, since I haven’t moved on from his role as Din in Chains of Heart), the sapphic side-couple (even though it’s a fake relationship right now) with rhyming names (Soi and Froi), and the neon lights. Mostly because of the neon lights! (I’m such a slut for neon lights!)

UNKNOWN (Taiwan): When I say that I’m obsessed with this series, it’s because I am. These characters live in my mind rent-free 24/7. The chemistry, the palpable yearning, the dialogue, the emotions expressed through the acting when there is no dialogue, etc., etc., etc. It’s just soooo great.

(Unknown does cover a topic that’s generally seen as taboo (“adoptive” brothers falling in love), so, be aware of that. I don’t have any issues watching series with taboo topics because there’s very little stuff I get uncomfortable with when it comes to fiction. So, I’m in love with this series with my whole stone-cold heart.)

#what I'm currently watching #currently watching #to be continued the series #love is better the second time around #1000 years old #close friend season 3 soju bomb #two worlds #two worlds the series #deep night the series #city of stars #anti reset #a secretly love #unknown #unknown the series #thai ql #thai bl #japanese ql #japanese bl #taiwanese ql #taiwanese bl #my shit

[allsadnshit]

for important context i’m sending this as a fellow wasian artist. but genuinely it makes me feel emotional & brave when you tag your art as “tawainese illustrator”… heritage plays such a big role in my art as well but as a mixed kid raised in america i’ve always felt like i couldn’t lay a claim on that label (even though obviously. i can). i admire your art a lot so seeing that feels very inspirational.. if she can do it then so can i. and i’ve been using the label since

Wow thats crazy I can do that for you since I wish someone did that for me....that feels really good to hear. The way I see it - people who want you to feel othered and not enough and half baked will always exist and asking their permission is the only mistake we make.

My mother always wanted me to be proudly taiwanese and have a relationship to Taiwan and I am not going to sacrifice what she left for me because it makes someone else uncomfortable for me to lay claim to what is mine

People who want to dismiss mixed people's experiences are speaking for life they don't live and no matter how you look it doesn't change what you are! So why waste more time trying to appeal to a world that hasn't made space for you when you could simply take it because it was yours the moment you were born.

[mybeingthere]

Yamaguchi Gen (山口源) was born in Fuji City (Shizuoka Prefecture). He spent his youth in Tokyo, and thought for a time about becoming a writer, but after his family moved to Taiwan in 1914 (where they had prosperous beer and sake breweries), he had a chance encounter with Fujimori Shizuo (藤森静雄 1891–1943), an oil painter, sôsaku hanga artist, and friend of Onchi Kôshirô. Yamaguchi assisted Fujimori in collecting butterflies, while Fujimori introduced Yamaguchi to printmaking. Back in Japan, in 1932, Yamaguchi fell in with an anti-materialist group called Itto-en, which led him to renounce (for a time) financial support from his family and live an ascetic life. He survived with menial jobs, going house to house and offering to do chores. Serendipitously, he came to Onchi's home. As the Second World War approached, Yamaguchi spent time as an itinerant painter. He was a Christian (a legacy of childhood Sunday school taught by a missionary) and political liberal (though not a Communist), and was very much opposed to the militarism taking over Japan. For a few years, around 1935–37, he disappeared from the art scene, and may have been an activist in the anti-militarist underground.

Continue reading https://www.viewingjapaneseprints.net/.../yamaguchi_gen.html

Images are from [The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL] (Source- artic.edu).

[beyourselfchulanmaria]

Today I took a slow walking to the lake - 澄清湖 (Chengcing Lake) at afternoon alone. Have a long time I didn’t go to there for some reasons… anyway it’s time to enjoy moments silently and poetically sat by there … I love lake and mountain always.

2. 13. 2024 龍年走春

Lan~*

#chu lan #fine craft artist #朱蘭皮藝 #leather art artist #beautiful life #Taiwan artist life #live love laugh #chengcing lake #澄清湖 #sunset #light

[farmersliga]

i have less than one more hour of 2023 left, so i want to look back a bit. this year, i…

learned to be a little more independent

discovered how much i enjoyed casual walking, even though it’s always crazy hot here

had my student driver’s license expire because i didn’t finish my required hours of practical training and i was too scared to take the test anyway

got super close to some family members i didn’t talk to so much before

had a very public breakdown for the first time in a long time. also had problems with being overwhelmed more than usual

started seriously considering teaching as a career path because, in what was the kindest move ever by a teacher to me, my native german prof pulled me aside to say he thought i had a gift for it

went on a trip abroad with just my cousins and had a blast. then went on a trip abroad for uni and had even more of a blast

met up with four online friends. shoutout to irena, jade, clara, and cher for being the bestest most lovely people ever <3

discovered new hobbies like listening to cassette tapes and crocheting, the latter of which i was able to use to make tiny little plushies for all of the online friends i met this year

flew abroad four times, which is the most i’ve ever done in one year. i got to visit hong kong, taiwan, the usa, and germany!

speaking of germany, got to go there for the first time ever. it was amazing to be able to experience the place i’d only ever seen in textbooks. i have fond memories of being able to talk to shopkeepers in german now too. but i also came to the realization that there’s still so much more for me to learn. because i went there with only 1.5 years of studying the language, and i was half floundering

stayed with a host couple for a few days in germany and conversed with them almost solely in german. they ended up getting married later in the year and i’m so happy for them

had multiple direct experiences with racism while abroad, including being accused of theft?? which was sad but also funny in a depressing way

started studying italian from scratch and loved it. also accidentally started studying french from scratch and hated it

affirmed a lot of my personal values, mostly with regard to social situations

started seeing a psychologist on top of my psychiatrist sessions

got incredibly emotional hearing my national anthem played during a football world cup for the first time ever, then got even more emotional watching us win a match. when i first watched these girls, they’d almost gotten kicked out of the qualis for the asian cup that got them into the wwc in the first place. and now they’re stars. it’s beautiful to see

finally helped to start fixing a really bad family problem that i’d known about for a few years now that nobody was doing anything about

saw both taylor swift and fall out boy live in concert. these were my first concerts ever, too. and both these artists were my favorites from high school so it was super special to me

watched my first full tennis season and cemented my love for the sport along with it. also got significantly more involved with the tennis side of tumblr and met the loveliest people there

took my baby nieces to their first trip abroad just this christmas <3

and probably much more that i’m forgetting now. but it’s really been a good year, definitely the best i’ve had since the pandemic happened. i dealt with a lot of mental health issues as usual, but i also learned to cope with them in healthier ways. and being able to go out more this year (not just abroad, but outside in general) and talk to more people was a big plus

so i just want to say thank you to everyone who helped make this year a much happier one for me, and i hope you all stay in my life even in 2024!

#inspired by irena’s summary post <3 #here’s to a new year with all of you! #the life and times of liz #*

[generation1point5]

Year of Reviews

I slept through my entry into 2023, and awoke to a new year while in a far distant country while spending my last days in 2022 on vacation. And in its own way, that near-seamless entrance now stands in stark contrast to where I find myself this year. The melancholy, however, has remained; a steady undercurrent that I see has been there since the beginning.

I still remember that trip as vividly as the day I had left; the sleepless plane ride, the cloudy, rainy morning on the highway passing through the mountains and the houses nestled into tall trees as I entered Taipei. I remember the food and the sights, the long and much-needed break where many new experiences brought up old memories, old haunts. In retrospect those sentiments were prescient, and perhaps in ways that ended up becoming self-fulfilling. Much of my life this year was spent as if I had the chance to do things all over again, and understanding what that sentiment truly is, and what it feels like. Like many things in life, it is bittersweet.

This year I have written more than I have in a long time; part of it is a compulsion and response to having recently switched to a high-powered, full-time job that has forced me to question my choice between a stable income and my artistic pursuits, which has since only been brought even further to the forefront. The other part has been the sheer amount of media that I have consumed that has inspired me, and from that, the new friends I've become acquainted with as a result. To think that it all started with a trip to Taiwan, and revisiting Nekojishi. It feels like a story all its own.

There's much I've come to learn and to appreciate about the culture of my heritage and my own place in it. It is so distinctly Chinese-American, but the prefix is made no lesser for it. Having experienced both the mainland and Taiwan's own branch of Chinese history, and having lived all my own, I understand the formation of my own racial identity as a very diffuse thing; a product of circumstances and material conditions as it is historical animus. I finally have an answer to the difficulty in translating my name. China as a setting and as a center for game development has experienced a resurgence in, something that I have enjoyed both as a matter of representation and also inspiration.

Revisiting the visual novel that had first made me curious about the island country of distant relation had also kick-started a wild direction to my life I wouldn't have anticipated otherwise, and now I look back on the beginning of the year almost as an oddity of a prior era. It is reminiscent of my first forays into online social circles. It has come to similar conclusions, also, and I am left with a better impression of how little I have truly changed from my years before. History did not quite repeat itself, but it has indeed rhymed. But that sentiment seems to be true globally as much as it has personally.

Sometimes, it feels like we’re only going in circles.

But things are not like before. I think about how much my life has changed from mere whims that had taken me to amazing fiction, to amazing people, and what both had inspired me to create. My best writing of this year was a memento of sorts, made in response to and kicked off by Echo. In that time, I have spent much of this year in a new community, meeting new people, and understanding my own place in a world that I have always been adjacent to but never truly a part of. But that has been a common pattern that has pervaded my life for a long time now, and that is not an unfamiliar sentiment that I have long since internalized and come to accept.

More than anything, I am appreciative of the journey, a journey of discovery as much as a reminder, a dark mirror from which I glimpse the parts of myself not easily perceived in the light. I have grown immensely for having put myself out there, as little as I have. I can imagine where I will go, and what I will see when I look back on this year many years into the future. I see shards like starlight, a constellation over a vast expanse, a picture and a tale long in the making. It is not a fire, so much as it is a glow; it's not too much, but just enough to give me hope in spite of many things this year.

Being 30, I had expected much in my life circumstances to settle, but it has continued to prove an unexpected, at times sobering adventure of smiles and pain. There are few things that I have kept for myself over the years, but what (and more importantly, who) has remained I have treasured beyond all measure that I could hope to convey.

For those new and old who have stuck with me thus far, thank you. I hope to create things worth the effort spent making them for many more years, and will always, always value the support offered to a solitary soul in a sea of talented, good-hearted people. The world is made bright and its beauty preserved because of the small and the insignificant; the signs of life and humanity in a world that seems to forget both beneath the weight of its own animus.

I go into the new year as I have like many new years' prior; without expectation, with hope, and a will to keep going. What I little I have kept for myself over these years, I intend to treasure to the very end.

#personal #blogging

[mejomonster]

9kay so I started Oh No Here Comes Trouble

And it IS that good.

I only saw one episode of Someday or One Day but it already feels that quality or better. It's scary, it's sad, it's grounded, its funny. It's realistic in the sense of Amazing visuals and great rendition of dead bodies running fast. The main character has a mullet and is just the Best (and in a way his vibe reminds me of Shi Guang from Qi Hun even though this guy Pu Yiyong is SO different)

The cop girl reminds me in part of Lang Qiao from Silent Reading novel, and in part of the cops in Strangers from Hell and Psychopath Diary. Actually tone wise, reminds me a Lot of Psychopath Diary with the amazing visuals well done horror elements And a good mix of realistic horror and heavy emotions AND comedy.

Also pu yiyongs mom is a salonist. Which I just think is fun cause there was this other taiwan show Love is Science where two of the main guys worked at a salon (also a good show, though a romcom so I didn't like it as much as this).

PU YIYONG is just a good kid who loses years of his life and is thrown and he just wanted to be a comic artist (I feel you) and people for some reason take him for a punk when he's just an artsy quiet dude and now dead bodies are chatting him up! The Guy of the year

#oh no here comes trouble #rant #lb #oh yeah and im promised bromance and i already expdct qi hun level We will SEE #but anyway its already GOOD GOOD two eps in #the people who watched were RIGHT this show is !!!!

[komatsuyuko]

new project! welcome to subscribe (only need your email). I'm sharing my life, story behind my own comic, exhibition artwork program etc... also my new travel diary since next week 💓

#substack #peiyuuuue #writers

[absolutebl]

Reveal your watch, rewatch & excited about BL list

@iankuea thanks for the taggage 

CURRENTLY WATCHING:

 Minato Shouji Coin Laundry (Japan) - Shin is my PRECIOUS baby stalker seme edgey honeychild and Minato is going to break that desperate 17 year old need open like a balut egg. I just hope we get at least some kisses before THE PAIN. 

Triage (Thailand) - OMG SO GOOD, the tension, the twists, the flips, the acting the CAN THEY END IT HAPPY???? 

Love Mechanics (Thailand) - messy cheating chaos queers of epic stupid but SO WELL ACTED - can’t stop the YinWar 

KinnPorsche (Thailand) - I like 1/5 of it more than I should and the rest of it less than I ought 

Unforgotten Night (Thailand) - for a kinky BDSM there is not enough kink, B, D, S, or M sadly, still it marks the return of the trash watch! 

Senpai, Danjite Koidewa! (Japan) - my least favorite dynamic but watchable 

Love in Spring (Korea) - rumors of no kiss/bromance abound, it’s dumb, I love the psycho character... of course I do... I AM the psycho character

Check Out (Thailand) - messy cheating chaos queers of epic stupid

Star and Sky: Sky in Your Heart (Thailand) - yawn fest 

My Secret Love (Thailand) - it’s absolutely terrible

Kimi no Koto Dake Mite Itai (Japan) - I magically got ahold of it but haven’t had the courage to watch it yet 

Not BL... 

Alchemy of Souls - it’s CW level Kdrama historical craptastic and I have been waiting for this all my life. 

Love the Way You Are (China) - NOONA ROMANCE! basically China doing a remake of Something In The Rain only sappier, softer, and probubly with a better ending 

REWATCHING:

DNA Says Love You (Taiwan) 

Love Class (Korea) 

My Esports Genius Brother (China) 

Long Time No See (Korea) 

Old Fashioned Cupcake (Japan) 

LOOKING FORWARD TO THAILAND:

609 Bedtime Story - OhmFluke but not sad, I hope. 

Bed Friend - I’ve wanted James to get his own BL since Oxygen 

Between Us - of course

Chains of Heart - new premise, intriguing 

City of Stars AKA Fueangnakorn - An actor falls in love with a programmer and the narrative intends to “explore the ramifications of being public figure in the social network era who must endure critics, bullying, and defamation.”

Coffee Melody - Pavel MY LOVE 

The Eclipse - First + Khaotung at a sinister boarding school, haze the one you love, good boy/bad boy, suspense & horror elements, self acceptance themes, a curse, enemies to lovers

Fahlanruk The Series - one night stand, friends with benefits, pining seme, high heat

I Feel You Linger in the Air - from the producers of Lovely Writer. This is a time travel historical romance. FROM THAILAND!  H I S T O R I C A L ! ! ! 

My School President - It’s Love Sick meets the whipping boy trope. How exciting. Yes, I know, we’ve seen it all before. But this is me. I never met a high school set BL I didn’t want to grant a fair shake (even one that centers around singing). And I love me some whipping boy. 

Never Let Me Go - PondPhuwin in a decent show? Sign me up: mafia, attack dog (whipping boy + bodyguard), love triangle, obsession, suspense

Vise Versa - proud member of Jimmy nation here and this is alt reality, bodyswap, soulmates. Soem trope I love, some I don’t 

FROM KOREA 

Eul's Love - Reunion romance office set.

The Circumstances of Pungdeok Villa Room 304 - Same pair as Kissable lips - Korea’s first example of this kind of casting. Rich kid lay about meets poor nerd, cohabitation. 

Heesu in Class 2 - high school shy unpopular boy with a secret crush on best friend. 

Comfort the Boy adaptation of Dongmul's manwha webtoon A Shoulder to Cry On. Teasing confident gay, fake dating, rich/poor, school setting, homophobia/gossip puts scholarship in jeopardy. Stars idols Jaehan & Yechan BOTH from Kpop group OMEGA X, 12 eps. MADNESS. 

The Director Who Buys Me Dinner 

Love Tractor asame production house as Semantic Error, stressed-out law student meets hunky young farmer. This is a very underused romance trope in BL.

Oh My Assistant - sexy one for Korea about an artist who draws adult webtoons and spends most of his time horny because of it, who hires an assistant that turns out to be his biggest fan. We’re gone see how Korea handles thirst.

PT is Love - friends of 10 years who’ve been hiding feelings for each other enter the same university. Plus MURDER.

Love is like a Cat: A new star, called the Cat Prince for his cold arrogance, goes up against a charismatic puppyish director. Korean Thai colab project will feature Mew Suppasit. 

Space Bakery: A spaceship crash-lands into and destroys a small bakery shop. Of course this means the alien and the baker end up living together. At the same time, other aliens-in-hiding all around the city start hunting for them.

FROM TAIWAN

I Secretly Fell in Love with Student Council President (let the dumb titles continue) - director of H2: Crossing the Line; Love Is Science with possible alternate title: About Youth. 2 high school boys with different backgrounds, personalities, and values compete for student president, but have more attraction than animosity.

My Tooth Your Love (from Result Entertainment - We Best Love peeps) with script by Lin Pei who loves VERY traditional yaoi tropes, she’s the writer of mush HIStory stuff. 

FROM JAPAN

Bokura no Shokutaku AKA Our Dining Table - I LOVED THIS MANGA. Lonely salaryman (talented cook) gets accidentally adopted by a college kid and his baby brother. They build a family together. This is a sweetly gentle and cozy manga and it will make a GREAT live action piece. 

Kabesaa Doujin Sakka no Neko Yashiki-kun wa Shounin Yokkyuu wo Kojirasete iru - starring Matsuoka Koudai (I know him from Five) and Nakao Masaki (Kakafukaka, Bow Then Kiss - he’s a BIG DEAL ya’ll) slated to be released in October. 

Copy and paste and play if you want. 

#tag game #reveal your watch and rewatch list #thai bl #kdrama #kbl #k-dramas #kBLs #watchlist #currently watching #korean bl #k-bl #japanese bl #japan drama #jdrama #jbl #Old Fashioned Cupcake #adapted froma manga #live action yaoi #strongberry #Long Time No See #My Esports Genius Brother #chinese bromance #chinese BL #Cdrama #Love Class #DNA Says Love You #taiwanese bl #Love the Way You Are #noona romance #Something In The Rain